Fed Govt begins construction of border fence

[Little-Acorn]

Anyone know exactly where this is? "...nine miles at the western edge of a 37-mile stretch of desert in southwestern Arizona" is what the article says. Anyone live near there, who can tell us what's ACTUALLY happening at that location?

"Concrete filled vertical tubes" as vehicle barriers. I take it people can walk between them? Will ordinary fencing be placed between them to impede pedestrian traffic? There's a lot of things this article doesn't tell us.

It would be nice if the Feds kept this up. Time will tell.

How long will it be before we start hearing the tired "A fence alone won't halt illegal immigration!!!', uttered as though somebody had suggested it would?

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http://www.cnsnews.com/ThisHour.asp#Feds Begin Construction of Vehicle Fence Along Southwest Border

Feds Begin Construction of Vehicle Fence Along Southwest Border

Jan. 25, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - Construction has begun on vehicle barriers that will be part of a mix of fencing along the Arizona-Mexico border to discourage illegal border crossings, according to the Associated Press. The construction that started Wednesday is part of a Bush administration initiative announced last year aiming to provide a mix of high-tech virtual fencing and a traditional physical barrier.

The first phase of construction will be made up primarily of concrete-filled vertical tubes set into the ground to prevent vehicles from entering. Department of Homeland Security spokesman Russell Knocke said some portions of the barrier may also contain traditional fencing. The first phase will be placed along nine miles at the western edge of a 37-mile stretch of desert in southwestern Arizona.

 

[Little-Acorn]

Some interesting satellite photos (I think), courtesy of GoogleEarth.

This one zooms in on the towns of San Luis, AZ in the upper left corner, and San Luis, Mexico, south of it. There's a farm on the American side, on the right side of the picture, with some rectangular fields and some round irrigated circles. The triangle just north of it is an airstrip. The border itself runs from the upper left of the shot, to the lower right. GoogleEarth tried to draw a thin yellow line along the border, and they got it prettty close, though not exactly right. The yellow line is a few hundred yards north of where the actual border is.

This one zooms in even further. The westernmost irrigated circle is at the top. South of it is a stretch of desert, then a dirt road and either a paved road or a railroad. South of that is a little more desert. GoogleEarth mistakenly put a yellowish line there, where they think the border is, but it isn't. I've seen them screw this up before - in my neck of the woods around Jacumba and Campo, CA, GoogleEarth puts the border north of Boundary peak, but BP is definitely in the U.S.

Just below the misplaced yellowish line, is the grayish border road on the U.S. side. And just south of that, on the left half of the picture, you can barely see a thin black line, which I believe is the border fence. That's about 1 foot on the U.S. side of the real border. Notice that the thin black line seems to stop just past the small, curved section of the border road.

This pic zooms in even further - GoogleEarth's optics are great, even if their geography sucks. You can alearly see the curved part of the border road, and the small parking are built by the Border Patrol. Looks like they've got a truck trailer or a portable office building on it. You can also see the thin black line clearly, which I believe is the border fence built years ago.

Has anyone actually visited this area recently? Is my description accurate? Most importantly, does the border fence stop right there? Or maybe diminish to a few strands of barbed wire or something that doesn't show up on photos very well (and don't halt illegals worth a damn)?

It's hard to tell the terrain from directly above, but it looks pretty flat and smooth to me. Crossing the border there (or anywhere east) looks like a walk in the park. And notice the handy warehouses and truck parks on the Mexican side of the border - a big one on the lower right part of the picture, and another in the lower center. That center one's the most interesting - it seems to have some well-worn areas going right up to the border itself, gravelled over as though heavy vehicles regularly used that stretch of land.

That's all speculation on my part, of course. I've never been there, and I'm just guessing, based on what I see in these pictures. But I've flown over the border in California quite a lot on Minuteman missions, doing both photography and active patrolling for bad guys, and this looks like a huge red flag to me. It could be the main reason why the Border Patrol put their parking area where they did.

Has anyone on this forum, actually been to San Luis, AZ? Are you going back any time soon? Any chance you could drive out to this area and see if this is where the new fence (well, vehicle barriers) is being built? It's maybe two miles east-southeast of the edge of the city. (Bring a camera! )

 

[trobinett]

Look, unless you build something along the lines of The Great Wall of China it ain't going to work. Hell, I'm not even sure THAT would work.

Only the ABSOLUTE enforcement of immigration laws will do the job.

Arrest these people, put them in labor camps along the Southern Boarder, hell, use them to build a fence or wall if you like. After they've served their time THEN ship them across the boarder with a warning, that if they come back they'll spend twice as much time in prison, plus, and also, even if they try to come back legal, they'll be turned back because of their bad behavior. We don't WANT criminals, ANY criminals.

Support the INS, and the Boarder Patrol, we have to get this most important problem under control NOW.

 

[Little-Acorn]

How long will it be before we start hearing the tired "A fence alone won't halt illegal immigration!!!', uttered as though somebody had suggested it would?

Look, unless you build something along the lines of The Great Wall of China it ain't going to work. Hell, I'm not even sure THAT would work.

Hmmm, less than 24 hours. About par for the course, I guess.

Of course, the stretches of fence built in and near San Diego halted illegal border crossings in those areas more then 90%. One of the antis' biggest complaints has been that those fences forced the illegals to go way east, out into the deserts, to get across. How do you equate such results with "ain't going to work"?

Only the ABSOLUTE enforcement of immigration laws will do the job.

Including the law that says you can't walk across the border without a visa? How do you intend to enforce that one without a fence? Do you know how many Border Patrol agents it would take to stand shoulder to shoulder along the border?

I suggest that a fence is more cost effective, when adequately patrolled (by a lot fewer BP agents than that other method).

Arrest these people,

How? They just walked across your fenceless border and melted into the population. Gonna go house to house demanding "Your papers, please!" of every occupant you find? Better brush up on your Russian accent first.

Support the INS, and the Boarder Patrol, we have to get this most important problem under control NOW.

I agree completely. But we have to have a method that WORKS. A fence, coupled with adequate patrolling and prosecution of employers who hire illegals, is that method. I have yet to hear a better one.

 

[trobinett]

Little-acorn, please, we ARE on the SAME page.

The point of my post was to STRESS the importance of ENFORCEING the laws we ALREADY have.

Build the GODDAMN fence, without enforcing the laws, it won't do any good.

 

[Roopull]

I think what Trob is getting at is the fact that even when the illegals break the law & get into the nation, nothing is done to them in punishment. They just get a free bus ride back home & are back in San Diego, Chicago, or Atlanta within two days.

There is no punishment... no enforcement.


Personally, I wouldn't be opposed to a few hundred sniper towers... shoot the one in the front & see how many of the others suddenly lose interest in coming here.

That's a joke.... now, unwad your panties.


I can only imagine that he poles they're setting up are designed to stop vehicles in a region of the country where crossing the border by foot means dying in the desert. Stopping vehicles would be a cost-effective way of cutting down on illegals.

In areas where one could cross the border & suddenly blend in, a "pedestrian" barrier of some sort is definitely a must... perhaps flaming pits of tar?

 

[trobinett]

I think what Trob is getting at is the fact that even when the illegals break the law & get into the nation, nothing is done to them in punishment. They just get a free bus ride back home & are back in San Diego, Chicago, or Atlanta within two days.

There is no punishment... no enforcement.

EXACTLY!!!

Personally, I wouldn't be opposed to a few hundred sniper towers... shoot the one in the front & see how many of the others suddenly lose interest in coming here.

Well, that WOULD work.

I can only imagine that he poles they're setting up are designed to stop vehicles in a region of the country where crossing the border by foot means dying in the desert. Stopping vehicles would be a cost-effective way of cutting down on illegals.

Hmmmm, not sure on the "effective" part.

In areas where one could cross the border & suddenly blend in, a "pedestrian" barrier of some sort is definitely a must... perhaps flaming pits of tar?

Replace the tar with old tires, and you've solved TWO problems.

 

[William Joyce]

Look, unless you build something along the lines of The Great Wall of China it ain't going to work. Hell, I'm not even sure THAT would work.

Only the ABSOLUTE enforcement of immigration laws will do the job.

I agree.

It's worth noting that big roundups of illegals send a ripple of fear through the rest of them... and that is a good thing. I love how the ACLU thinks this is a BAD thing... as in, "bank robbers fearful about being arrested in wake of other bank robber arrests."

Duh!

 

[red states rule]

How about pumping a few thousand volts through the fence. that would help stop the flow of welfare leechs, drug dealers, and criminals from pouring in

 

[trobinett]

WJ posts:

It's worth noting that big roundups of illegals send a ripple of fear through the rest of them... and that is a good thing. I love how the ACLU thinks this is a BAD thing... as in, "bank robbers fearful about being arrested in wake of other bank robber arrests."

RSR posts:

How about pumping a few thousand volts through the fence. that would help stop the flow of welfare leechs, drug dealers, and criminals from pouring in

Looks to me like we're all getting on the same page here.

Got to wonder what the hang up is with our "leaders", and I say that with all due respect.

 

[red states rule]

WJ posts:



RSR posts:



Looks to me like we're all getting on the same page here.

Got to wonder what the hang up is with our "leaders", and I say that with all due respect.

That is what cost Republicans the election. They left Reagan conservatism and common sense.

 

[Hobbit]

9 miles on that border? That's a drop in the ocean. It'd be like trying to plug the hole on the Titanic with a champagne cork.